Companies with outmoded technology have a tougher time competing for talent

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Dive Brief:

Employers with outmoded IT systems and tools can't compete successfully for talent, according to the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report, commissioned by Insight Enterprises. Among the 241 respondents in the online survey of U.S. business leaders and consultants, 58% said their technology offerings are a factor in candidates' decisions to work for them and 51% said outdated technology hampers their ability to compete for talent.

The group said that giving employees access to data and knowledge is one way companies can build a connected workforce, raise employee loyalty and attract candidates. Most of the survey respondents (63%) said they want greater self-service access to critical data, 50% want to choose their own devices with which to do so and 45% want more self-service software setup and installation.

Respondents also identified key barriers to using technology for collaborating and connecting in the workplace: disparate systems across an organization; no education or training for workers; the wrong tools; and trouble with budgets, resources and IT support.

Dive Insight:

There's no aspect of business that technology hasn't impacted or elevated in some significant way. Hiring and recruiting, self-service benefits access, team collaboration, information management and training are higher-functioning and more efficient because of technological advances. And as technology continues to advance, these functions only stand to make the workplace operate more efficiently and collaboratively.

A recent Paychex study shows that employees want more self-service capability to access HR information and functions. A challenge for employers is providing workers the same level of user experience as offered by the tools they use in their personal lives. Employers who don't update their technology risk losing the competition for talent.

Also, employees are using their own phones, laptops and tablets at work. Giving them options in how they do their work fosters engagement. However, the risk of cyber breaches increases when workers use their own devices, so employers need cyber policies to protect their workplaces from cyber attacks, both external and internal, and to protect proprietary information.